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Norton joins nonprofit dedicated to sober life

Former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton joined Phoenix Multisport Inc. in Denver as director of development for the nonprofit organization, which supports people recovering from alcohol and substance abuse.

Norton, a Grand Junction native, said she is “excited to be part of a team committed to breaking the cycle of addiction and helping people rediscover their potential.”

Her hiring signals an interest by Boulder-based Phoenix Multisport, a nonprofit founded in 2007, to expand around the state, including the Western Slope, founder and Executive Director Scott Strode said.

Phoenix Multisport offers a variety of free athletic, outdoor programs to people who have been sober for 48 hours.

“I really think Grand Junction is a perfect spot for a Phoenix chapter” because of the ready access to climbing, hiking, biking and other activities that have “an inherent transformative power” that can translate to sobriety for individuals battling addiction, Strode said.

“We’re hoping Jane can help us build some inroads” on the Western Slope, Strode said.

Phoenix Multisport most recently expanded into Colorado Springs to offer service to returning soldiers.

Nearly 3,000 Coloradans along the Front Range are involved in about 45 Phoenix Multisport activities offered each week, said Strode, who said he has been sober for 14 years.

Norton was the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment from 1999 to 2002 and regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1988 to 1993. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2010.